Abstract
Background and ObjectivesThe emergency department (ED) is the most important unit of a hospital and is often visited by an ever-increasing proportion of geriatric patients. However, in Pakistan, there is an inadequacy of geriatrics specialists. The objective of this study was to assess the profile of geriatric patients in the ED. We considered main diagnoses, frailty, and other factors that help to come up with certain findings that may assist with policymaking and initiatives for better geriatric care in Pakistan.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted at a hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. The study population comprised 101 patients aged 65 years and older who attended the hospital’s ED from July to September 2021. Data were collected by taking the patients’ histories.ResultsThe majority of patients were aged between 65 and 70 years. The most common diagnoses were: gastrointestinal disorders, cerebrovascular accidents, and neurologic disorders. More than half of the patients were found to be frail by the five-item FRAIL questionnaire. The mean Charlson Comorbidity Index score was 5.37 ± 1.88.ConclusionIt was concluded that the need for geriatric care is worth mentioning since it imposes a significant burden on the ED. The geriatric patients had a higher risk of being on the critical list as most of them were frail and suffered from multiple severe comorbidities. Our results can assist in the development of geriatric emergency medicine and acute care systems in Pakistan.
Highlights
The geriatric population is growing very rapidly, which is of increasing concern worldwide
It was concluded that the need for geriatric care is worth mentioning since it imposes a significant burden on the emergency department (ED)
The geriatric patients had a higher risk of being on the critical list as most of them were frail and suffered from multiple severe comorbidities
Summary
The geriatric population is growing very rapidly, which is of increasing concern worldwide. Pakistan’s 2017 national census reported a population of 200 million, the sixth-highest in the world, of which about 13.7 million (7%) are aged 60 years and older [1]. This proportion of the population is expected to increase to 12%. Such a vast geriatric population requires the health care system to provide proper resources and services. In Pakistan, there is an inadequacy of specialists in the field of geriatrics. The emergency department (ED) is the most important unit of a hospital and is often visited by an everincreasing proportion of geriatric patients. In Pakistan, there is an inadequacy of geriatrics specialists. Frailty, and other factors that help to come up with certain findings that may assist with policymaking and initiatives for better geriatric care in Pakistan
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